Amy’s ride Canberra contribution to A grand for charity 110Km

On Sunday I participated in the inaugural Amy’s ride Canberra. This ride was the first Amy Gillett Foundation ride outside of Victoria and South Australia. I signed on and encouraged a couple of other riders at work to sign up. One did but he did the 65Km  ride. 

I rode down to Federation Mall at 06:30 to be at the start on time to collect my 1 Meter Matters jersey. It was set to be a brilliant day. There were other events on in Canberra, including a hot air balloon  spectacular and the 97th birthday celebrations for Canberra as the nations capital.

When I got to the start I met quite  a few riders, including one guy who I raced with during the ACT Vets criterium races. There were some who were nervous about doing a 110km ride but as I pointed out it was a ride not a race. I knew I could go the distance given I had done the Tour De Hills century the week before.

At 08:30 all of the 110km riders were sent to the start for the beginning of the ride. We rolled out in dribs and dabs, but then as the ride began people began to find their groups and rode with them  or  as in my case rode alone.

We took what would be normally busy main roads out to Mt Stromlo. This included some roads that were under road work at the time. I found it quite interesting riding these routes as they were not part of my normal rides. We passed Black Mountain and rode into the hills near Mt Stromlo. Most of the roads had shoulders but there were issues with trees and broken glass. Some of these shoulders narrowed and disappeared altogether.

The When we got to Mt Stromlo it would have been a good idea to get more water and before going on the first Urriarra Cotter  loop but my legs were good and the rest of the ride were keen to keep going so I went on to do the first loop. The Urriarra Cotter loop is  part of the Tour of Canberra. This is a race organised by cycling Australia for elite level club cyclists. It includes some significant hills. Painted on the roads in this area is the sort of encouragement for riders that is used in the Tour De France.

The country side was quite beautiful, there are a lot of farming – mainly sheep but there is some cropping and cattle in the area. There were some sandstone boulders on the hills, which reminded me of the Great Escapade. We rode down to Coppins Crossing – a small ford across the Molonglo river and out past Casuarina Sands to the Cotter Dam.  We rode past the new estate of Urriarra. and then up along Mt Stromlo. The scenery changed quite significantly but it was quite a beautiful part of the world to be riding in.

After the first loop I knew I would need some more water and some food to give me the energy for the final loop of the course. I rode into Mt Stromlo where a round of the Mountain Bike Nationals was being held. I rode in through the entrance we were advised to use and then filled my water battles and took a couple of bananas. I got talking to one  of  the ride volunteers who was wearing a jacket from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He had volunteered at the Judo and was keen to discuss some of the stuff  he had seen there.  Judo was one of the events I saw when living in Sydney during the olympic games.

When I left the water point at Mt Stromlo I headed out into weather which was warming up. The sun was up and more people were out and about. Not only were there riders in the ride but there were local club cyclists doing their own rides (including one on a fixed gear bike), motorcyclists and young families who were camping at Casuarina Sands or at the Cotter Reserve.

As I rode along it became apparent that some people were doing the second loop in the other direction to which they had done the first. I wasnt ‘t the only one going the way I was going so I am not  sure who was right. In any case it doesn’t matter.  It goes without saying that the second loop was harder than the first. I had a few breaks to have the bananas and energy bars and water. This helped me get thr ough the second loop. I was over taken by a guy on an expensive road bike, I got a morale boost when he informed me that there were at least 4 other riders behind me on the 110 course.

When I got to Mt Stromlo, I took advantage of the undulating terrain to peg back a few riders who had stopped at a water point and continue down Cotter road to Adelaide Avenue. Once on Adelaide Avenue it was all plain sailing to State Circle where we went on behind the parliament and into the chute back at the start at Federation Mall. I was relieved when I got to the Parliament. An Police officer held the traffic for me as I turned right and I was quite pleased when I found I had done the course in 5 hours and 23 minutes.

I got my show bag and some winners bars and bananas. I refilled my water bottles for the return trip home a nd got a free massage. I was surprised to be on site when the last rider got back. She had taken the same route we went to Mt Stromlo back to the finish, which added to her time. Some one from Triathlon Canberra was annoyed saying she should have known the course. I saw her arrive and she  no doubt was relieved to be back like the rest of us.

I had a slow ride back  home  and a good shower  and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

The Rotary Scenic Cycle Tour of Canberra Total contribution to the Grand for Charity 77.4 Km

This one is old, so old it has whiskers. It has been difficult to get the time to write the full account of this particular ride but I have the time and the inclination and the access to the internet so I will do it now.

On the 27^th of September 2009 I took part in the Rotary Scenic Cycle Tour of Canberra. I did it on the Green Trek. I had little training as it was the first ride back from the winter break which seems to put a lot of cycling events on hold.

This ride is one that I have always had in the back of my mind as being one I would like to do. It is one of the rides that builds local riders up for the Fitz’s challenge and other rides later in the season. I was still living at the Pavilion on Northbourne and was toying with the idea of doing the century but had let the opportunity pass me by. However there was a guy at work Andrew who was doing the ride and I decided to give it a try. I signed up and got myself in for the five peaks ride.

In the morning I got myself up bright and early and made the bike ready. I had a couple of energy bars which I put in the new rack bag. I also made sure I had some gear for a change in the weather conditions and took a rain jacket. I filled the bidons and headed out to Blundells cottage by Lake Burley Griffin.

I got there in time to get myself ready for the ride and did a few mechanical checks.

During these checks I found I needed some air in the tyres and borrowed a floor pump from another rider. I also caught up with Andrew and some of his friends. In contrast to the Green Trek, he rode an Avanti Blade and was ready for some longish riding. He had also done some training so I knew he was going to have an easier time of it than I would.

The format of the ride is something I am going to have to get used to. Riders ride to certain points in the course and collect stamps on a card at a check point. This I have been informed is to keep some of the Audax people happy. When it came time to head off our first destination was going to be Mount Pleasant.

Mount Pleasant as the name suggests was an easy hill for those who were in good shape. I made it up the hill and was amazed at the number of riders on this ride. Some came from local triathlon and cycling clubs and were well prepared. We went through Duntroon and up to the Royal Australian Artillery memorial where there was a guy with a caravan stamping cards. I got some more water here and was better prepared than at the start. I also got some bickies which were good for energy.

Next on the agenda was Mt Ainslie. Which was the 6km point but a extremely steep hill. I found myself using an old point from someone who told me about cycle touring which was to just stay in the lowest gear and keep riding. I made sure that is what I did. Mt Ainslie is like heartbreak hill for City to Surf runners. It flattens out a bit, giving the rider the impression that they are near the top and then resumes climbing again. I made it to the top by just banging away. I got the card stamped and then began the descent down the hill.

After descending Mt Ainslie I got talking to a guy on a road bike he knew Canberra and had a fair idea of how we were going to get to the next destination – Black Mountain. We went through town, down Anzac parade, through Constitution Avenue (and past my place of work) through London Circuit and Marcus Clark Street and through the ANU.

We then joined a path that lead to Black Mountain, where the climbing was as steep as Mt Ainslie but not as long. It was at this stage I saw Andrew again as they were going down the mountain. I just tackled Black Mountain with the same tactics as I took on Mt Ainslie, just kept in the lowest gear and rode up the mountain. I got the card stamped again and went to the toilets at the Black Mountain tower. I have since been up the tower and found it is quite a view.

After descending this hill there was some more gentler riding to the next mountain. Mount Stromlo. The course followed some bike paths which lead to a point near the Governor General’s official residence. There was a lunch stop which was welcome. There is a photo which I will post later of me getting an iceblock. I was the only rider to take one. The weather was bad and all the riders including myself copped the wind and the rain. After the Lunch stop we wound up going through a number of bike paths that took us through Belconnen. It was here that I had a puncture and set to work fixing it. I got the job done and wound up being the last rider ride on to Mt Stromlo.

With a guy driving a four wheel drive as the Sag wagon behind me I rode through to the Cotter area and then began the ascent of Mt Stromlo. Mt Stromlo has been badly affected by the fires in 2003. There is still ruins of the old telescopes. I found the going on Mt Stromlo hard because of the exhaustion but also the problem of magpies. When I made it to the summit I met an old guy in an old Toyota van. It turns out he is the president of pedal power and was making sure I made it to the summit (as I was the last rider) and that I was OK to continue. I assured him that I was fine and would proceed on to Red Hill. I got the bidons filled with water again and then rode down Mt Stromlo and went through Duffy, Rivett and other suburbs before reaching the bike path near the Cotter Road.

According to the instructions (which I still have there was supposed to be another food stop/checkpoint at the Governor Generals residence. This was open for the Australiana trust which was collecting donations for people to have a look at it and the Prime Ministers residence – the lodge.

I got to the point where the check point was supposed to be and found that they had gone. I asked one of the Australiana trust people to sign off on the card but they wouldn’t. After a brief exchange of words I left leaving the old fool on to continue hanging around outside the guard room.

I finally found my way towards Red Hill and encountered the president of Pedal Power again. He stamped the card and I told him I was going to do Red Hill. He stamped the card for that check point as the people there had been told I may have given up.

I began the ascent and found myself looking at some very beautiful scenery. I rode up the hill and around the lookout. I then went and got myself some more water for the end of the ride. After a brief look at the view I headed down the hill and through some suburbs, around the Parliament and down Kings Avenue. I was relieved when I joined the bike path and rode up to Blundells cottage. I got a show bag from the Canberra Times (the volunteers were packing and had a lot to spare). The president of Pedal Power showed up and gave me a cheer.

I had some lunch in Commonwealth Park and headed back to the Pavilion. I put the Green Trek into the luggage room and had a hot shower and had some dinner in Dickson.

Last Bike Sydney Ride – the Sydney Push ride

On Wednesday I went on what will be my last Bike Sydney ride.  I took the Green Trek on the train to Martin Place in time for the assembly at the stairs near the GPO clock tower.

When I got there I met one of the local bike messengers, who surprised me when I found he was riding a Raleigh Mountain bike as opposed to the usual single speed bikes. I hung around the GPO waiting for the other riders and Gilbert Grace – the ride leader turned up. Gilbert turned up and I signed on. If he was surprised to see me he didn’t show it. I had not gone on a Bike Sydney Twilight ride for ages. They really are something special.

Before too long the bike messengers departed either for jobs or back home/the pub or another hang out and the other riders turned up. These included an older rider with an electric power assist hybrid and a young commuting cyclist.

Gilbert gave us the lowdown on the theme of the ride. It was going to be the Sydney Push. The Push was a group of famous and some would argue infamous intellectuals who included the likes of Paddy Mcguinness, Germaine Greer, Harry Hooton, Eva Cox and Robert Hughes. They used to meet at some of the Royal George Pub pictured and held meetings and took part in activism that was particular to their interests. They took their name after some of the local criminal gangs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like the gangs there was a connection – tenuous at best between the Push and the Sydney Underworld, who also frequented the Royal George and other venues which the push frequented. They were prominent from the 1940s to the 1970s.

After we signed on we were joined by a couple of other riders including Kerry Chin who I had met previously on Massbug Rides and Critical Mass. When the ride started we headed up Martin Place through the grounds of Sydney Hospital, through the Domain to the Art Gallery. From there we went on to Woolloomooloo via a lift. Gilbert and I took the stairs and were joined by the other riders when they came down in the lift. We then headed up through the back streets up to the Cross where we went to the first landmark of the ride. The former residence of Juanita Nielsen on Crown Street.

Gilbert related the story of Juanita’s disappearance and her campaign to prevent the destruction of the Darlinghurst Kings Cross area. We also heard how Tropfest began in a pub down the road. It had begun in the back room of a pub and then grew. It is now one of Sydney’s big events – a short film festival which thousands enter. We also heard about Bea Miles one of the Sydney eccentrics who also frequented the area.

From there we went through to the lower end of Darlinghurst road where Gilbert pointed out a studio/residence where Brett Whitely and others lived and worked in the 1960s. We then headed though the back streets of Potts Point and Darlinghurst before we returned to the City. I found it ironic that as cyclists we had a discussion about the Aston Martins on show in the showroom in Darlinghurst.

We rode back into the city and then rode to Pyrmont where we saw the Royal George (pictured above). It is now the Slip Inn and famous as the watering hole where the Price of Denmark met Mary his Australian wife. We discussed the pub for a few moments before a safety briefing on the areas we were going to go through in Pyrmont. We then followed the path accross the Pyrmont bridge and rode around the buildings near the Channel 7 area in Darling Harbour.

We then rode through Pyrmont, where the rain began to play havoc with the ride. I wasn’t sure but I suspect Gilbert cut the ride short when we got to Glebe because we were initially going to go to a pub in Forrest Lodge. Instead we went to the Friend in the Hand in Glebe. I wasn’t worried about cutting the ride short and welcomed the opportunity for a meal and a couple of schooners of beer.

One of the guys who had a cable lock allowed me to lock my bike with his. We went inside after taking all the stealable stuff of the bikes and were able to score a table near the fire. The thing with the Friend in the hand is that like a lot of Sydney Pubs it has a lot of international clientele, some of them no doubt have stayed there and there is a lot of souvenirs on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Some of these things include what I suspect is a surf boat hanging upside down, any number of remote control aircraft, a large number of photos of celebrities – who may or may not have something to do with the pub and the usual number plates and foreign currency.

Like a lot of Sydney Pubs The Friend also has some good food going cheap. I scored the Spaghetti Bolognaise and a garlic bread all for under $10.00. I enjoyed my schooners and partook in the bread that was handed around by the pub management. We also got some olive oil to dip it in.  While we ate we discussed future rides including an underbelly themed ride that may happen sometime in the future. We discussed the likes of Neddy Smith and Roger Rogerson. I also mentioned the possibility of seeing the old Commancheros club house at Louisa Street Birchgrove. Gilbert knew of some good places such as the place in Pine Street Chippendale where Roger Rogerson shot Warren Lanfranchi. We also had a discussion regarding religion, moving house, Atheism, the causes of  World War I and other topics before it became to call it a night.

I decided to ride back to Tempe through Petersham, and Dulwich Hill. It was a good ride and I got back in time for some good sleep. It will be a shame to miss such fine company and food, however I may try to get to Sydney for the occasional ride.

The Bathurst to Blayney report – contribution to a Grand for Charity 110 km

I would like to start by thanking Bathurst Daybreak Rotary for organising such a great ride. I hope that the funds raised for Head Space go to treating the issues relating to depression that are affecting people not only in the Central West but everywhere. I signed up for the ride but didn’t get any accommodation. I spent Saturday night in Lithgow and then drove to Bathurst in the morning. When I got there I parked the car on William Street and got the bike ready. I then took a bus which left from the corner of William and Howick Streets after putting the bike onto a removalist truck that the organisers had arranged to for the trip to Blayney.. My number was Blayney truck and caught up with Mike and Nick later on. I got my registration number and my bag of goodies at removalist I caught up with Simon, Nick and Mike. I met Simon first at the BlayneyWhen I got to

It was an interesting trip to Blayney. There were plenty of riders from Randwick Botany Cycling Club and other cycling clubs in Sydney. There were even riders from the Drapac Porsche team. I saw at the back of the bus looking at the beautiful Central Tablelands Scenery.

 

731. 

One thing I did notice about the road between Bathurst and Blayney is that a lot of animals seem to get killed. I passed a dead snake, Kookaburra, Parrot and any number of dead Kangaroos. There are a lot of pot holes in some sections the road and I found myself finding some of them as I rode along. Mind you there were some really good sections of road where the surface was smooth and intact. The other thing was that the standard of motorist behaviour in this area was better. Whether it was the amount of warning signs or the fact that people are in less of a hurry in the Central Tablelands is up for debate.and my time wasinternet with Mum and Dad and then headed back to Sydney via Ruth’s place. I looked on the Lithgow and had a meal. I then got the bike ready for the trip back to Sydney and headed off. I spent a bit of time in BathurstAfter watching the last 3 riders finish I rode into

As I rode toward the first drink station I saw Simon fixing the puncture and did offer assistance but Simon said he was OK and appeared to have the job under control so I continued on. I saw a rider riding the other way and got the surprise. He was riding a bike modified for an amputated left arm. I rode on astounded.

Another rider who had a puncture earlier and I wound up making our way to Trunkey Creek – that appeared to be a down hill run and I made some time on the rest of the ride.

Towards the half way mark there was some more climbing. On this stage I became aware of the sag wagon trundling behind me. I got to the drinks station at half way and the guys driving the sag wagon told me that they were told to follow the last rider – which pretty much confirmed my suspicions that I was it. I also had a chat to the people at the drinks station who told me that as Blayney was higher than Bathurst I had done some climbing so the next stage was going to be down hill if not on the flat until I got to Mt Rockley. I continued on with the ride. I was determined to get the ride done. I had some of the energy gels and the banana that I got at the start.

Fortunately the people at the drinks station were right and next stage of the ride from the halfway point to Mt Rockely was down hill or flat. I made up some time on the rest of the 110 km riders. There was a point where the long and the short courses converged and I had company till I had to go on to Mount Rockely.

When I got to Mt Rockely I had a really hard time. The climb included a dirt section. I had to stop and use some of the remaining energy gels to give me a boost up the hill. I even had to walk some sections. I got to the final drinks station at the summit of the hill and wound up getting the last of the water. I decided to go all out to make sure that I was able to catch up with the rest of the ride.

The ride down from Mount Rockely was a fast down hill and I went all out to get to Perthville and then on to Bathurst. I rode past a rider who I thought was a recreational rider not taking part in the event. It turned out they were on the ride and had started out on the Long Course but had changed to the short course when the going got tough. I rode on through to Bathurst and the weather improved. I turned off toward Mount Panorama and found myself riding with a couple of girls on mountain bikes. They claimed to be the last of the 70 Km riders. We wound up riding into the Mount Panorama area together.

We went through a gate and then headed into the pits area finish line.

When I arrived at the finish line an official cut the timing transponder from the fork. I had a chat to the commissaire who told me that the head wind at the start would have made us pedal harder. He showed me a trophy – I wasn’t aware that there was a trophy for the event. I was quite pleased that I had finished.

things looked warmish so I was looking forward to getting out of my arm warmers and longs but that didn’t happen. We had a pretty hard head wind for the first 20 kilometres. I was dropped by the ride well and truly before the first drink station. BathurstI also got the timing transponder which I put onto the front fork. When we started the temperature was pretty cold. In

5:45:36. It wasn’t a bad ride but it was the toughest I have ever done. I will do it again but do the short course next time.

The Amy’s Ride Albury report (Contribution to A Grand for Charity = 124 km)

 

 

 

 

On Friday the 7^th of March, I went to Albury for the Amy’s Ride Albury. This ride was held as part of the Multisport Albury City (MAC) event held over 2 weeks. My brother in law gave me a bike rack for the car and I used it successfully to get to the Tour De Hills, so it would be interesting to see how it would work for the 553 km trip to Albury. I decided to give myself 3 weeks off work to wind down and so decided to include the Amy’s Ride Albury and the Big Canberra Bike Ride in the first week with the Mt Cootha Challenge in Qld, being a possibility for the next week.

The ride was in support of the Amy Gillett Foundation which raises money to promote safe cycling and foster and promote better relationships between drivers and cyclists. The Foundation is named after Amy Gillett, a professional cyclist who was killed while training with the Australian Women’s Cycling Team.

There was a choice of either a 124 km ride or a 40 km ride. Both of these rides took the riders over the Victorian Border. I chose to do the 124 km ride. I left Sydney at about 09:30 after collecting a baby swing my mother bought for my nephew on ebay. I drove down the Hume Highway and found to my surprise that the petrol for the drive cost less than the rail or air fares. Earlier that week I had booked myself a hotel room at the Astor Hotel Motel. When I got there I found that I had been there before when I did a road trip to Melbourne. The drive was relatively uneventful even though as with the drive to Castle Hill it took longer than advised by the whereis.com. I found the approach to Albury has changed heaps when I arrived – there is now a bypass of the town centre.

I found my way to the Astor and unpacked the car. I then walked to the town centre and got some breakfast cereal and other supplies. I found that the service in café’s etc was slow. So I wound up having a meal in my room. I watched the first quarter of the Essendon versus Collingwood game and then retired for the night. I wound up finding that the band playing in the Hotel part of the Astor and the subsequent brawling by some of the patrons kept me awake for part of the night.

In the morning I got myself up and packed the car. I got myself ready and double checked the directions I had been given to Noreuil Park. Fortunately I had been given a map of the town and checked my directions as I would have been sent on a wild goose chase and nearly wound up back on the Hume. Fortunately I found the park, unfortunately I wound up missing the start. There were two other riders with me, I went out to try and catch up with the ride. However I wound up having to return to the park, where I collected my registration and got a briefing on where the route. I fully expected to be told that I was going to wind up doing the 40 km ride. If I had I would have copped it on the chin and done the 40 km ride (it would have been a good excuse to go up to the Central Coast and do the Loop the Lake the next day!) However the organisers arranged for the car that was to be following the ride to wait for me over on the causeway over the boarder at Wodonga.

 

After getting my number pinned on I rode all out to catch up with the other riders. I found the support car and went through the back roads through Wodonga in hot pursuit of the other riders. Just outside Wodonga the support driver offered to drive me up to the rest of the riders but I turned him down. I rode on through Bandiana and the back roads towards Tallangatta when I finally caught the last two riders and passed a guy who it turned out had broken a spoke in his rear wheel.

I said hello to the two tail end riders and we discussed the reasons for our lateness. All of us had not been to Albury for a while and had no idea where Noreuil Park was. We settled in and became the back of the pack group. When we got to a community hall that was open so we could use the toilets we stopped and used the loos and introduced ourselves. My riding companions were Irene and Chris from Melbourne. Chris had been on the Great Escapade and we exchanged stories of the start at Lithgow. Irene works at a gaming venue in Melbourne. We were about to head off, when we found the kittens from a neighbouring house. It turns out there were 11 of them and Chris and Irene are cat lovers.

We finally headed off and rode as a group. I discussed cycling in Sydney with Irene as we proceeded through Kergunyah 

towards Hume Weir.The ride went through the back roads, we passed some local cyclists either commuting or touring. The attitude demonstrated by drivers in Northern Victoria was a stark contrast to the attitude of New South Wales motorists. We were given space and were passed by cars at slow speeds. We rode through the cattle country which included a sprinkling of orchards and horse studs. We rode past Latchford Barracks and onto the halfway point. Before we got to Hume Weir Chris and Irene went to a service station for food while I rode on. I rode across the weir and into New South Wales. I met the rotary volunteers and refilled my water bottles and had some of the fruit and energy bars there. It turned out that one of the volunteers lived at Sydenham and was familiar with my neighbourhood. We were joined by Chris and Irene, who claimed that the service station also doubled as a bottle shop. The usual jokes about alchol went around. We restocked on energy gels which became useful in the hills that were to come.

We headed off and followed the lake to a bridge where we crossed into Victoria again at Bethanga. I there were some small hills but these were easy compared to the gap. I finally got backed to Talgarno and went for a toilet stop. While I was there Chris and Irene caught up, we discussed the ride and were warned about the two cattle grids which we would encounter on the return route to Albury. After we freshened up we began our ride back into NSW.

We headed back across the bridge. We followed rode back to Doctors Point and then followed of the Riverina Highway to the outskirts of Albury. We turned off into residential streets which lead to a road that lead through and industrial estate and lead under the bypasses. The road followed the Murray after which we were diverted through residential streets to the Kiewa street and then onto Murray street for the entry to Noreuil Park. Collin had caught up with Chris and Irene and lead them into the park but I was too far ahead and wound up riding in to the park at the tail end of a criterium race.

I had a look around the park and watch some of the racing. I caught up with Chris and Irene and was told about their return to the park. I also got talking to the representative of the Amy Gillett Foundation. He and I discussed the possibility of a NSW ride and he claimed that NSW and Sydney especially is a difficult market. He claimed that Bicycle NSW wasn’t forth coming with support for the ride. He said Amy’s ride Brisbane and Canberra were going to be held sooner than either NSW or Sydney.

I got myself ready for the trip to Ruth’s place at Warrimoo. I put the bike rack on the car and put the bike on the rack. After a 15 minute power nap, I headed off out of Albury back up the Hume. I reached Warrimoo at 10:30 and got myself off to bed for the next days trip to Wollongong.

Talgarno. The countryside was suffering from the drought, you could see the level the water had dropped by the layers of the sand in the lake. The hills started off some gentle climbs but we became separated as the climbs got steeper. The challenging climb came when I arrived at a Gap (I forgot who’s Gap it is named after but as I am beginning to suspect anything called a gap meant to describe a steep climb). On this Gap I found myself having to use the granny gear and on two occasions had to stop and have an energy gel and some water. I saw Chris and Irene followed by Colin (the guy driving the support vehicle) and was able to complete the climb. When I reached the summit I was able to enjoy the descent into

The Tour De Hills Report – Sorting out the mechanical issues before the big ride.

On Sunday the 1rst of March I went to Dural for the Tour De Hills. I intended to do the 100 km ride. I had prepared myself for the century and was going to use it to test my fitness and the Red Hybrid’s readiness for the Amy’s Ride Albury event. This ride is a regular event held by Castle Hill Rotary for St Gabriel’s School for Hearing Impaired Children. My reasons for joining doing it regularly are: Firstly it is a good ride and it can be challenging. It sorts out the bike and the rider for the coming events in the Sydney/NSW cycling year (Eg Loop the Lake & Central Coast Century Challenge). Secondly my sister Sarah suffers from a hearing impairment. She is partially deaf and struggled at school especially primary school when some teachers claimed she was just lazy. It has been a major issue in Sarah’s education. She has gone on to do well for herself. She degrees in Fine Art and Nursing and has recently completed a post graduate course in Adult Education. She is looking at going into nurse education – she has been working as a nurse for over ten years. She is now married with a child and is doing well. St Gabriel’s has Individual Education Plans to ensure that hearing impaired children can learn to listen and speak in addition to the normal education curriculum. In short it helps deaf children achieve in their education.

The Tour De Hills offers a century ride (100 km – two loops of the 50 km course), a 70 km ride (1 loop of the 50 km course and then the 20km course), a 50 km course, a 35km course and a 20 km family fun ride. It is held in the Hills District of Sydney. There is virtually no public transport there so I wound up having to drive. Fortunately this gave me the opportunity to test the bike rack that my Brother-In-Law, Ray gave me for Christmas.

Getting to Dural was the problem. Unfortunately I got lost. Despite the best preparation – I have gone the same way to the event before, (I even had gone over the route there with whereis.com!). I still got lost and wound up being later than I intended. I had to sign up and with the usual delays caused by getting myself and the bike ready I missed the start of the century by a few minutes. I wound up going doing the 70 km ride. I have done the 70 km ride before and used the Red Hybrid for it. I got myself sorted out and got myself going.

I rode quite well and was able to peg back some of the earlier riders. It seems that everyone from Sydney Cycling was there including one of the members of the board of Bicycle NSW – Jenny Burn. She attended the ride resplendent in her Bicycle NSW kit and rode her Vivente World Randonneur. I noticed some of the people I saw at last years Tour De Hills, including the event mechanic from the Castle Hill Bike Shop.

Everything went well until I got to some major climbs. It started as the chain skipping on the middle chain ring. It meant I either had to ride in in the top chain ring or in granny gear. But it started getting worse as I went along. Fortunately the mechanical issue did not affect the 50 km course. However there were some issues with drivers on the 50 km course, some idiots came close enough to scape some of their duco on the handlebars and not everyone was listening to calls of “Car back”. It seemed that the Bogan element was out and about that morning. The 50 km course took us through some good rural scenery particularly around Hawkesbury area eg Annangrove and Scheyville.

After I completed the 50 km Course I proceeded to the 20 km course. There were road works on this course and it would have been an issue for anyone using a road bike with 700 x 23 tyres. The issue would have been the dirt section where these tyres would have been a problem, as the slick surface would have meant little traction. Fortunately I was using 700 x 25 tyres. The 20 km section also involved some climbs where the mechanical issue became a problem. On one occasion the chain seemed to slip between the middle ring and the granny gear. I lost some momentum as I tried to deal with this issue. I encountered some chain suck (the chain slips off the chain rings) and spent 5 minutes pulling the chain back on to the chain rings. Eventually everything settled in. There were some interesting moments on the 20 km course when someone let off fireworks (illegal in NSW) near the riders. There was a steep descent which leads to an equally steep climb and so far things went well until the mechanical issue emerged again and I lost momentum yet again. The bike did play up some more as I went along and it became apparent that the bike needed some mechanical work. This was glaringly obvious when the chain skipped between the granny gear and middle chain rings resulting in the usual amount of swearing caused by frustration.

I was able to finish the ride and was more than happy to have the meal that came as part of the entry. It turned out that this years ride had the second highest number of riders and met it’s fundraising target. At the end of the ride I was happy to put the bike onto the bike rack and drove to Ervin’s place a Beaumont Hills. I then went to Ruth’s and had dinner.

The following day I took the Red Hybrid to Bikerepairs.com.au and got a new middle chain ring – the original having worn out. I also got a new rear derailleur fitted to be red hybrid. At the cost of $186 it was expensive if timely repairs.

Getting ready for the Gong ride

With the Gong Ride coming up I will move the training up a notch. The good thing is I got the green Trek serviced at Woolys Wheels on Friday. I rode there and got there at 8. As they open at 10 (why do all bike shops in Sydney open late) I did a few laps around Centennial.

The Green Trek made it down to Wollongong two years ago when I did the ride. I may need a new seat but however given that I have only been using the single speed for training for quite a while it may be a case of me getting used to riding the Green Trek all over again.

When I got back to Woollys I found we were in for more than just a $89 service, I had a feeling we would be in for a new chain but a new cassette was also in the mix to. Further more the bike is going to need new chain rings very soon. I didn’t get them this time round but I will next service. It was a very expensive excursion to Paddo – all of $250 blown on the Trek. I will hopefully be able to use it until it is dead (frame is in perfect nick – almost!) but that will be a while.

I also scored some new shoes and a couple of jerseys at the Netti sale. I found that the jerseys were from the same group. But at least I scored the shoes. I saw heaps of people I know at the Netti Sale. Fiona Campbell took the bike bus to the sale from Marrickville. There was a guy I worked with when I was at Clyde and who lives up the Mountains. He came down to score some goodies. I put cleats on the new shoes yesterday so it will be curious to see how things go.

I also had trouble with the Fearless Gearless. The wheel is chewing up spokes quickly. I have come to the conclusion that I will need a new wheel. I spoke to the guys at Cheeky Monkey and they have come up with a single speed wheel with BMX cog etc for $380 or there abouts. I will probably have to go with that, although I may ask the guys at Bike Repairs what they can do. In short the Fearless Gearless isn’t working all that well. The only good news from it is that the slicks work well – really well.

If my legs are good and the wind doing the right thing (still or even better still behind me) the fearless gearless can go as fast as 31 or 32 km/h. I have been able to use it for general commuting and for the occasional shopping trip. She can also do well as a MTB but for general use. I like the fearless gearless enough to think of it as a good ride. Once she gets a new rear wheel I will start looking at the other modifications I am looking at doing to her up even further with riser bars and maybe even some fancy handle bar grips.

Yesterday I went to the Saturday Slowies ride with the Green Trek and enjoyed riding it around Centennial. I am getting stronger as a rider (at least that is what I think. I know that I have been able to do most of the stuff I used to do with the granny gear with just the upper 2 chain rings. This is good in someways because it means I am becoming fitter.  It was an interesting ride in more than one way.

I noticed a guy with a bike with bull horn handle bars similar to the Kat. The Shogun Katana or Kat as I call it has the bull horn handlebars previously used by triathletes, time-trials and more recently messengers and couriers who want the rest of the world to think they are messengers. The difference between the Kat and the other bike was the other bike was a Pinerello and was pretty much in good shape. The Kat has been lingering in my bedroom with some issues with the old wheels.

I am going to do it up. I have a set of wheels from an old road bike that doesn’t fit me. They are 700 wheels but the Kat’s brakes will need to be adjusted for them to work with the new wheels. Further more the Kat will need the cables repaired and a new chain and a good old fashioned strip down service. I will have to get the bike ready soon for the summer season of rides. It may be a good step in case of the Green Trek or the Fearless Gearless going bung.

I also got a bit of sageous advice from Lindsay yesterday. We were at the cafe after the Saturday Ride. We were discussing bikes and he mentioned that a really good investment would be a good road bike. Something in the vacinity of $2000. Something from Giant, Trek, Avanti? or a similar brand. NOT CELL or any other dodgy brothers brand. I like the idea quite a lot. If I am going to be a serious rider I am going to need a serious bike. I am considering something like a top of the range Cell but that has changed. As I had yesterday off from the Rocks Markets I went out to Parra to checkout the bike shops there. I operate on the suspicion that everything is cheaper out west for a reason. They don’t use bike for commuting all that often (serious roadies live out there somewhere but by and large the bicycle is regarded as a leisure vehicle).

When I got to Parra I was checked out Blackman cycles. They also have a shop in Penrith that I have visited before but there is always the possibility of cheaper things elsewhere. I didn’t see much except the Giant Bowery that is cheaper than it is in town. I went to Universe cycles and saw where most of the bikes advertised on Ebay go. There were more bikes that were 2nd/umpteenth hand there than anywhere else. I asked about how much they cost. It turned out that they buy ’em up cheap and sell ’em of dear!

I also went to the Parramatta Bike Barn and saw what has to be the last remaining Masi single speed in the country. There are some good deals from trek and Giant but the usual story from Apollo et al. I will still keep my options open though.

Cycling around Sydney during World Youth Day & a personal best

This week has been an interesting one for those of us who cycle around Sydney. On the political level the Rudd government has decided to set up a green wash carbon trading system that in the words of Christine Milne goes from the polluter pays to the polluter gets paid principle. The Government will cut petrol excise to compensate for the Emissions tax, they will give permits (for free) to coal fired power generators and cash compensation. There will allegedly be an auction of permits but the watered down nature of the emissions trading system makes a mockery of the proposition.

On the practical level things have been problematic. World Youth Day is in town and there is now thousands of pilgrims and laws which enabled the NSW Government to remove the city’s only bicycle lanes on Park Street. They have been replaced with bus lanes which cyclist are allowed to ride in, however they wind up sharing it with Buses, Motorcyclists, and Taxis. For those who do not know the Sydney Taxi driver is the motoring equivalent of the Kamikaze pilot. They stop suddenly to collect passengers (in Sydney the idea of putting your hazards on has become a form of abdication of responsibility on the part of drivers).

I went to Centennial Park for a couple of laps on Tuesday. The preparations have been going all out and there is a corridor of fencing along the lanes leading to the park. I rode the first lap and found that there were contractors putting up fencing along the  Grand Parade they weren’t well lit although they were visible to a point. I did 4 laps before exiting through the Randwick gates which were kindly left open by the contractors.

I went along the shared path to Doncaster avenue – the path was lined with fencing – some of the base stands were actually on the path and creating a hazard for cyclists and pedestrians. When I got to the crossing point which links the shared path to Doncaster avenue, I found the crossing had been blocked by fencing. It appears that the locals cycling or walking around Doncaster avenue aren’t welcome at youth day.

Yesterday despite the predicted traffic chaos I was able to achieve a personal best. I left work at about 4.05 pm and rode to St John House (currently St John Ambulance Head Quarters – I do a bit of voluntary work for them and will be at Randwick on Sunday). I pulled out every trick in the book to get to Surrey Hills. I tried to keep it legal which I was able to do mostly but as time went along I went all out. I rode through St Peters and Alexandria. When I got through Erskinville I was able to ride through to Wilson St Newtown with a red car on my tail. 

The whole situation reminded me of an episode of  Top Gear that I saw on You Tube while at work where they had a race between a car, bicycle, and a public transport user and a speed boat to get from one point in London to Heathrow Airport. The bicycle won, of course although there was a time I was wondering if I would do the same. I was racing the clock – I said I would collect my accreditation by 5 PM and I was getting close.

When I got to the corner of Little Everleigh Street and Lawson Street, I was held up. There was a group of Spanish pilgrims on their way down Everleigh Street (yes The Block). They had a flag on a fishing rod and were dangling it over the road. I don’t know if this was their way of controlling the traffic or if it was their way of showing where they came from. But it did slow the cars and I was able to turn onto Lawson Street. I got the usual pamphlet from one of them. I tried out my dodgy Spanish, which was as good as their English. Eventually I was able to get away and got to the lights near Regent St.

I checked the time when I got to the lights and found it was 4:49pm – 11 minutes to go.  When the lights changed I rode full pace to Elizabeth St through the various lanes. I then went contraflow and through Waterloo and crossed into Surrey Hills. Where I rode through across Albion St and then rode through some of the one way streets and lanes and came out close to the Sydney police centre and Hunt Street Surrey Hills – my target.

When I got to HQ I met people on their way home from work. I told them I was here collect my World Youth Day accreditation. They let me in and the security guard showed me to the floor where I collected my accreditation & information on how to get to the event on Sunday. The time when I got in was 5:00 PM when I got my accreditation it was 5:05. I had made it through Sydney’s peak hour traffic from the airport in less than an hour. I would say I even beat cars heading into town from the airport.

Afterwards I got a drink and some food in the “Red Room” and caught up with some people who I know through various sources. I was able to catch up on the news about World Youth Day and the Tour De France. I will do a separate post on how Cadel Evans is going but I will wait and see how things go with the race before I go making any predictions.

When I rode home it was a difficult ride – Peak Hour was on and in full swing. I rode through Surrey Hills to Redfern and then went home via Wilson Street. I made it in time to get some food and then got myself ready to go back to Lithgow.